Order processing virtual assistant packing an order
E-commerce VA · Order Processing and Returns

Order Processing Virtual Assistant

Every order processed, every shipping status current, every return handled to your policy, by one dedicated person who works for your store alone. Here is what that covers and what it costs.

Order processingShipping updatesReturns and exchangesRefunds within policy
✓ From £5/hour ✓ UK-managed ✓ Dedicated VA, not shared ✓ 3-month probation, no penalty to leave
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What They Handle

What an order processing virtual assistant handles each day

Order processing

Reviews new orders, checks for fraud flags, address problems and stock conflicts, and moves each order to fulfilment or to you, so nothing sits unprocessed past the window you set.

ShopifyAmazon Seller CentraleBay

Fulfilment tracking and shipping updates

Tracks every order through your warehouse or 3PL, updates shipping statuses and tracking on the store and the marketplaces, and chases the couriers when a parcel stalls.

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Cancellations, edits and address changes

Handles the requests that arrive after checkout: cancellations, quantity changes, address corrections and delivery instructions, applied before the order ships rather than after.

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Returns & exchanges

Issues return authorisations, tracks the returned goods, books exchanges and restocks or writes off items to your rules, and identifies the patterns that reduce return rates.

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Refunds and goodwill within your policy

Processes refunds and partial refunds, applies the goodwill gestures you allow and brings anything outside policy to you with the context written up.

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Order messages and reviews

Answers the customer messages an order generates, where is it, can I change it, it arrived damaged, in your voice and on your marketplaces' standards, protecting your seller rating.

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Which model

A dedicated order processing VA compared with a 3PL's support desk or a freelancer

A 3PL moves boxes well and handles exceptions badly, because exceptions need your policy, your customer history and your judgement. A freelancer clears a backlog and leaves; the next backlog needs a new briefing.

A dedicated order processing VA is one person in your order flow every working day, and you see only the exceptions that need your decision.

Ant Assist

Dedicated order VA

How it works
One person in your order flow every working day
Exceptions
Handled when they arise; you see only those needing you
What you are left with
Only the exceptions that need your decision
Ant Assist fit
Knows your couriers, returns and where policy stops

3PL support desk

How it works
Moves boxes well, handles exceptions badly
Exceptions
Need your policy and history, which the desk lacks
What you are left with
Founder still fields cancellations, damaged parcels, refunds
Ant Assist fit
Not provided by Ant Assist

Freelancer

How it works
Clears a backlog and leaves
Exceptions
The next backlog needs a new briefing
What you are left with
Mistakes in between are found by customers
Ant Assist fit
Not provided by Ant Assist

Explore more VA types

Not the right fit? Compare other VA types

Who It's For

Who an order processing VA is for

  1. Founders processing their own orders One VA takes orders, updates and returns off your plate.
  2. Brands using a 3PL Your VA handles cancellations, address changes and damaged-parcel messages.
  3. Marketplace sellers with a rating to protect Responses and returns handled to Amazon and eBay standards.
  4. Stores with seasonal peaks Scale hours up for the peak, and the January returns handled.
Order processing virtual assistant with a order progress card: picked, shipped, returns logged
Cost Comparison

What an order processing VA costs

With Ant Assist the entry rate is £5 per hour for the first 6 months on the Entry tier, 3 months on Mid, 1 month on Expert.

A dedicated Ant Assist VA compared with a UK in-house hire and a UK agency, full time.
What you get RecommendedAnt Assist UK in-house hire UK agency
Monthly cost Standard price £1,040 a month, introductory price £800 for the first 6 months ~£3,100 approx. £3,500 to £4,500
Who manages the work IncludedOur UK team supervises Not includedYou do PartlyThe agency
Recruitment and onboarding IncludedIncluded Not includedYou recruit and train IncludedThe agency matches
Employer NI and pension IncludedNone to pay Not includedYou pay both PartlyBuilt into the rate
Office and equipment IncludedIncluded Not includedYou provide PartlyVaries by agency
Holiday and sick cover IncludedCover provided Not includedYou find cover PartlyVaries by agency
Replacement if it is not right IncludedReplaced, no restart cost Not includedRe-hire from scratch PartlyVaries by agency
Contract Included12-month term, 3-month probation Not includedEmployment contract PartlyVaries by agency

Entry offer: standard rate £6.50, introductory offer £5/hour for your first 6 months.

UK agency figures are an approximate range around the £25 per hour agency benchmark our calculator uses.

What the £5/hour entry rate includes

  • Dedicated VA, never shared
  • UK-hour aligned support
  • Management and supervision included
  • Recruitment and onboarding included
  • Office infrastructure included
  • VA replacement available
  • No NI, pension, or holiday costs
  • 3-month probation, no penalty to leave

These are typical estimates. Get your exact numbers in the full calculator. Or read how much a virtual assistant costs in the UK.

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Process

How to hire an order processing VA

1
First call
A short call about your tasks, your tools and the hours you need covered.
2
Matching
We pick a VA from our in-house team for your work and introduce them to you.
3
Onboarding
Together we write down your rules and set up your access before day one.
4
Live
Your VA starts on your hours from our managed office, supervised from the UK.
5
Ongoing management
A UK team reviews the work each week; hours scale up or down as you need.
Why Managed

Why a managed order processing VA beats a 3PL's support desk or a freelancer

Managed, not just placed.
Your VA is recruited, trained and supervised from our own in-house office. Not a ticket queue, not a freelancer profile.
Exceptions handled by someone who knows the store.
The same person sees every order, so the patterns in cancellations, damage and returns are noticed and fixed.
Replaceable without restart cost.
If the fit is wrong, we replace the VA and carry the handover. No re-recruitment, no starting from zero.
No NI, pension, or holiday overhead.
One hourly rate; the employment costs sit with us.
Your data stays yours.
Every VA signs an NDA and a data-processing agreement, works inside your admin through password managers at the access level the job needs, and you can revoke access at any time.
3-month probation, no penalty to leave.
The initial term is 12 months, including a 3-month probation in which you can end the engagement without penalty. After 12 months it continues monthly with 30 days' notice.
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FAQ

Common questions about hiring an order processing virtual assistant

Every order after the customer clicks buy: checking it, processing fulfilment, uploading tracking, handling cancellations and address changes, updating shipping statuses, chasing couriers on late parcels, and answering the where-is-my-order messages before they become complaints. You get a short daily line of orders processed, exceptions and anything waiting on you.

Yes, inside the policy you write down. Routine returns, exchanges and refunds within your policy are handled end to end; anything outside it, a refund above your limit, a chargeback threat, a damaged high-value item, is escalated to you with the context written up before the VA acts.

By recording why each one happened. The VA logs the reason, the product and the channel for every return, and the weekly pattern, a size that runs small, a photo that misleads, a courier that damages parcels, goes back to you as a short list of fixes.

Yes. Late parcels are chased, claims are raised with the evidence prepared, and fulfilment exceptions are resolved with your partner in your name, inside the portals you already use. A new service or carrier is never booked without your instruction.

Your VA works your agreed hours, usually UK business hours, and extended hours or weekend cover are available at additional cost. For Black Friday and Christmas, hours scale up and back down afterwards without penalty, and a second dedicated VA can be added for the season.

£5 per hour for the first 6 months on the Entry tier. After the promotion the e-commerce rate card applies: £6.50 per hour full time, £1,040 a month for 160 hours, or £6.80 per hour part time, £544 a month for 80 hours. The initial term is 12 months, including a 3-month probation in which you can end the engagement without penalty. After 12 months it continues monthly with 30 days' notice.

Didn't find your answer? Browse more common questions in the Help Center.

Get Started

Every order handled. Every return, too.

One dedicated order processing VA, from £5 per hour. Book a free 15-minute call.

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